A Little Thing Called Destiny
by SpunkRansom225
Summary: "So, now that we've bumped into each other a total of two times in less than half an hour, what do you say we introduce ourselves? I'm Jacob." The tale of two people brought together by fate. Pure fluff. AH. AU.
1. Chapter 1

It all started one Saturday morning at the supermarket.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Bella hears as her cart collides with another shopper's. She hears a deep chuckle and glances up from her list, her own apology at the tip of her tongue. She stops when her and the stranger's eyes meet. He is taller than her — taller than most people, really — and muscular. His eyes are a deep brown, a shade or two lighter than his smooth-looking tan skin and his smile is one containing perfect teeth so white and shining that Bella thinks she might go blind.

"I—Um, it's my fault," Bella manages. "I wasn't looking," she says as she half-heartedly lifts her shopping list that had been holding her attention during the accident.

"No way. I take total blame."

"Were you distracted by something, too?" she asks.

The stranger smiles. "Only by a very pretty woman who was distracted by her shopping list."

Bella doesn't expect the compliment and blushes, not only because her skin flushes red at the slightest flattering remark but also because it came from him_ — _this man that has the body of a god and the smile of an angel. She opens her mouth to thank him but is interrupted by an elderly woman behind her with a cart of her own.

"Excuse me, young lady! Other people are shopping, too!"

Bella quickly apologizes to the woman, as does the man still standing in front of her. He quickly moves to one side of the aisle, allowing Bella to exit and she turns the corner into produce.

"Nice crashing into you, Beautiful," Bella hears called after her. She doesn't turn back around, but smiles as she examines the fruit.

Twenty minutes later, Bella finds herself still thinking of the stranger who had crashed into her cart. His eyes are the most prominent thing in her memory — the way they seemed to be able to dig into someone's soul and find answers to questions she never even thought existed. She also finds herself thinking of his long, strong arms that she suspects have the power to hold something so broken together until his sweet smile manages to bind it back together. With this man still on her mind, Bella turns into the frozen food aisle and reaches for a lean-cut steak the same moment another hand does. They reach the package at the same time, their hands touching momentarily and somehow Bella know it's _his_ hand. She lets go of the package and straightens her posture to look up at the man before her.

"Ah, we meet again, Beautiful."

"Yep." Bella could slap herself for how ineloquent she sounds.

"So," the man says, "now that we've bumped into each other a total of two times in less than half an hour, what do you say we introduce ourselves? I'm Jacob." He sticks his hand out and Bella accepts it, noticing how firm his grip is. Jacob seems like the perfect name to describe this man. Strong; sweet; memorable.

"I'm Bella," she offers in return.

Jacob seems to muse this over in his head, thinking hard on something. "I took Italian in high school and it's been a while, but I'm pretty sure your name translates to beauty. If that's so, I'm now very convinced that I have some type of psychic powers."

Bella thinks back to her more recent Italian courses in college and recalls that yes, this is correct and blushes once again. She nods and says, "Yes, that's right."

Jacob smiles triumphantly to himself. "Well then I've rightly nicknamed you, Beautiful." He smiles again and his brown eyes smolder. She's not sure if this is something he does intentionally, but Bella is entranced by it all the same.

At a loss for words, Bella simply shrugs and offers a "Kudos" and a smile. She picks up the package of steak they had both been interested in and places it in Jacob's cart. She grabs the next one in the row and places it into her own cart and then turns to the opposite end of the aisle. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Jacob. I've got to get the rest of my shopping done before my shift at work."

"Wait, hold on a second." She feels the weight of Jacob's hand bringing her cart to a stop. "Aren't you going to give me your number?"

"Excuse me?" Bella is caught off guard by his bluntness and the fact that he's even interested in obtaining her number.

"Shit— uh, sorry. What I meant was I'd really like your number." Bella starts to answer, even though she has no idea what her decision is. "Please," Jacob adds on quickly.

"Why?"

"Well, why does any guy want a woman's number? I'm interested in you. I want to get you to know you more. There's something about you that in the two five-minute conversations we've had today had captivated me. Have I convinced you yet?"

"Mmm, I don't know." Bella has to admit that there is something about this man that draws her to him. From what she's seen, he's funny and charming and he's obviously beautiful. Despite all this though, something in her mind is telling her that this is a little too good to be true. This is the kind of thing that happens to women in romantic comedies and Bella has never believed in any of that stuff.

"Come on, Bella. Two meetings in a big supermarket? What are the odds? It's fate."

And it's that answer that helps Bella make her decision. This is all too gushy and lovey-dovey to be the foundation of a good relationship. It would fall to pieces in an instant and while Bella would like to be one of those women that believed in fate and destiny and love at first site, she was just too logical to be one of those women.

"I'm sorry, Jacob, but I can't." She pulls her cart out of his grasp and leaves the aisle.

Bella moves about the supermarket, successfully crossing everything off of her shopping list and pays for her groceries. She tips the teenager that bags her food to take it out to her car and as she's directing the acne ridden adolescent on how to properly stack them into the trunk of her car, she hears a voice.

"Bella?"

The voice is excited and slightly higher pitched than the last time she heard it due to disbelief, but she knows exactly who it is. She turns to her left and squints through the sun at the man putting groceries into the car adjacent to hers. "Hello, Jacob."

"This is fate, I tell you!" He quickly puts the last bag into his trunk and walks over to her. "You can't possibly tell me you don't think there's some supernatural force at hand."

With all that's happened in the last hour, Bella honestly can't tell Jacob that, despite how much she wants to. "I don't know what to say, actually," she admits.

Jacob doesn't miss a beat and says, "Well I know ten things that would be perfect to say right now."

"You're relentless, aren't you?"

"My middle name is persistence," he says.

Bella snorts. "Seriously?"

Jacob's smile drops. "Okay, I know that was an impossibly corny line, but really, I'm trying hard. Did I give that bad of a first impression?"

Bella isn't sure if it's the smile he's giving her, or she's pitying him, or if some teeny tiny part of her is _maybe _starting to believe in all this destiny crap, but one second she's rolling her eyes at his advances and the next she's prattling off her cell number to Jacob. They part ways and Bella goes home to put away her groceries then heads to her shift at The Georgian, a restaurant in downtown Seattle. She expects Jacob to obey the normal seventy-two hour wait to call her, but soon after she returns home that night from her shift, her phone rings and Bella has a date for the following Friday night.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hey there, readers. I know what you're all probably saying**. **"She's starting ANOTHER multi-fic! She hasn't even finished KIC." I know, I know. BUT! This fic idea appeared out of no where and demanded my attention and is very fresh in my mind. After I finished the first chapter, I outlined the entire thing (something I usually fail to do right after the first chapter) and I'm very confident that I will finish this in a good amount of time. Have faith in me, readers! Thanks for reading this and I hope you enjoyed.**


	2. Chapter 2

"It's almost Friday!" Angela exclaims the minute Bella walks into the kitchen. Bella rolls her eyes as she ties her apron around the her waist.

"I swear, Angela, you're more excited for this date than I am."

"Maybe it's because you haven't had sex in about a year," her best friend says, tossing Bella's pad and pen to her. "You're very unhappy when you're horny."

Bella glances out of the kitchen and into the restaurant, already full of people in the middle of the afternoon. She sighs. It's going to be a long shift. "I beg to differ," she says.

"Of course you do."

"What ever happened to my best friend from high school? You know, the one that cringed at the mere conversation of open-mouthed kissing?"

"She got laid." Angela winks and walks out into the restaurant to start her shift, with Bella on her heels. Bella does her rounds, waiting on everyone from elderly couples out for an early dinner to business men and women trying to get contracts with big companies or the odd mom treating herself to a date with her favorite book. As the day gets later and Bella's body becomes less energetic, she thinks about how thankful she is that the restaurant started incorporating tips in with the bill, because she wouldn't often get a tip otherwise — especially from the group of trust fund teenagers that had been here earlier on a double date. And if Bella didn't get tips, then she'd never get her bakery.

She crosses paths with Angela in the kitchen around six and decides to take a break, having just placed an order for a table. She leans against the wall and her friend glances at her in empathy. "Hard afternoon?"

"Understatement," Bella says, blowing a piece of her hair out of her face. "I hate being a waitress."

(ALTCD)

"Very nice outfit, Beautiful," Jacob says as Bella opens her door and greets him hello.

"Thank you." She steps out of her apartment and follows him out of the lobby and to his car. "So where are we going?" she asks when they're both settled into the car.

His only response is a smile and "It's a surprise."

Bella is indeed surprised when he pulls up to the Georgian and hands the valet his keys. "Are you kidding me? This is where I work, Jacob."

He places his hand on the middle of her back and guides her through the doors despite her protests. "Oh, I know. I just think having our date here would give us a chance to associate this place with a positive experience instead of the one memory we do have here."

Bella smiles. From what she remembers, happiness is already connected to this restaurant, but she can understand how he would disagree.

The Wednesday before her date, while Bella had been on her shift with Angela, she had spotted Jacob sitting at a table in her section. She had been kind of excited which she liked to think was Angela's excitement rubbing off on her and not the idea of fate and destiny creeping into her mind. That is, until she noticed he was sitting with a very beautiful woman.

Bella'd had no choice but to walk over there, since he was in her section and when she'd asked for their food order, she found herself snatching the menus from them both after they were finished. Later on, she'd accidentally — yes, _accidentally — _spilled water on Jacob's lap. She'd apologized immediately after, but let a whispered "Jackass" slip through at the end and of course with her luck, Jacob heard.

He'd gotten up from his date and pulled Bella into a corner and demanded to know what her problem was. She'd been yelling at him that even though they weren't exclusive and hadn't even been on their first date, how dare he go out with another girl in her restaurant! He'd kissed her silent and told her that the woman was his cousin, visiting from his hometown. She'd just gotten engaged to a man named Sam — her high school sweetheart — and Jacob was treating her to a celebratory dinner. When Bella had looked back at the table and saw the ring on her finger and noticed their resemblance, she'd been incredibly embarrassed. He ignored her deep blush and apologies and instead asked how the kiss was. She said it was nice. He agreed.

Melissa, the new hostess, shows them to their table and Bella notices that this is her section. Since she is here though, not working, she knows that this section will be covered by—

"Hello, I'm Angela and I'll be your server tonight." Bella smiles at her friend and gives a small wave. Angela takes out her pad and pen. "Are you guys ready to order, or do you need some more time?"

"I think we need a little more time. Thanks Angela," Jacob says. When Angela walks away, Jacob turns to her. "So, Beautiful, twenty questions?"

"Sure. Um, occupation?"

"I have a photography business with my two best friends. We cover everything from birthday parties to weddings and anything else that people want to have a memory of."

"Wow, I would have never guessed that."

"Why not? Don't I seem like the artistic type?" Bella shakes her head. "Well what would you have guessed I was?"

An Abercrombie and Fitch model. "A… construction worker?"

"I knew you were checking out my biceps."

"I — Please, I was not!"

Jacob laughs at Bella's terrible attempt at lying. "I'm just messing with you, Beautiful. I already know your occupation so I guess it's my turn. What's your most embarrassing moment?"

Bella lies and tells him it was falling down a couple of stairs in school. She's just not ready to share her deep secrets yet. Jacob tells her that he was pantsed by his best friend Embry in front of his all time crush at eleven.

Angela comes back and takes their order and brings them their food a short while after. Over dinner they continue their game of twenty questions asking things like "Where have you worked?," "Where was your first kiss?," and "How many scars do you have and how did you get them?" Halfway through their meal, Jacob puts down his fork.

"Are you having fun?"

Bella looks up, surprised. "Yeah, I'm having a nice time."

"No, no. Are you having _fun_? Life is full of 'nice times' but not down-right fun."

Before Bella can protest, Jacob calls Angela over and asks for doggy bags for them both and grabs her hand when the bill is paid. They end up at the nearest movie theater.

"Watching a movie is fun?" Bella asks disbelievingly.

"Only if we pick the worst one," Jacob replies with a smile. They buy tickets to the newest vampire movie that everyone is so obsessed with. Bella and Jacob hate the entire series. Its perfect.

"I don't even get this movie. Aren't the vampires supposed to sparkle? The wedding is outside, in the _sun_!" Bella says as they watch the main actress walk down the aisle. She gets shushed by the woman in front of her.

"Tell me about it. The best part so far was the dance with her best friend, Jack," Jacob says. "That guy is bad ass." When they receive another shush, they whisper the rest of their critique to each other until the honeymoon scene. Bella ends up loudly guffawing and they are eventually kicked out by the usher. As they're walking out, Bella yells "This movie sucks!" and they run out laughing even harder.

When he walks her to her door, she hesitates outside, not quite ready to leave him. "I had a really nice — sorry — _fun_ time tonight."

"Glad to hear it, Beautiful. Still a fate skeptic?"

"Just a little."

"Any chance you would agree to a second date despite the fact?"

Bella nods and before she can articulate the word yes, Jacob's lips are on hers and she's got her hands in his hair and her back against her door.

When he pulls away, he leans his forehead on hers and asks, "Was that as good as the first one?"

"Definitely," she says. Jacob agrees.


	3. Chapter 3

Bella waves to Melissa as she walks out of the Georgian. It is Saturday, still early in the day, barley ten a.m. She'd come to pick up her check and is without plans for the rest of the day. On the way to her car, she stops short, shocked. Jacob is there, leaning against his car which was parked next to hers.

"Jacob, what the hell are you doing here? You scared me half to death."

He pushes off of the car and smirks. "Hello to you, too, Beautiful. I thought you'd be happy to see me."

Bella smiles back. "Of course I am." She tilts her head upwards and gladly accepts his kiss. "I was just surprised to see you is all."

"I called Angela earlier and asked if you worked today. She said you were just picking up your check. She gave me the time you'd be here and I thought I'd stop by and surprise you with a date."

"What have you got up your sleeve this time?" Bella says laughing and shaking her head slightly. Since their dinner at the Georgian six weeks ago, Jacob had taken Bella on six more dates. He'd made sure to keep his word for each and every one and taken her to do something fun. They'd gone bowling, laser-tagging, paint-balling, roller-skating, to a comedy show and to another terrible movie (which they also got kicked out of). Bella couldn't wait to see what he had planned today.

Jacob opens the passenger door of his car for her and then walks around to the other side. "You'll see when we get there."

"Aw, Jake, you know I hate surprises."

"The last surprise wasn't so bad, was it?"

"Well, no, I guess not," Bella concedes.

"Promise you'll love it."

"Isn't that your bakery?" Jacob asks after they've been driving for twenty minutes. Bella hadn't even noticed they were on 2nd and Maine, but when she looks out the driver side window, she sees the quaint little shop that was formerly a popular coffee café. It was owned by an elderly married couple, but when the husband had died, his widow closed the shop and put the building up for sale. Bella'd had her eye on it ever since and when she'd told Angela about her dream to buy it and open a bakery, her best friend had agreed to help her buy and run the place. Bella was so close to getting to her goal savings amount, she could already smell the baked goods and hear the bustling of customers.

"Yeah, that's it," Bella says dreamily. "I'm so close to getting the money to buy the place."

"You'll get it soon," he says reassuringly.

"I hope so."

Bella lays her head against the window. She and Jake sit in a comfortable silence as he drives. After another half hour, Jacob exits highway eighteen and Bella sees the sign that sets her in a panic.

"Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no! There is no way I am going in there!" Bella exclaims as Jacob drives through the entrance of Wild Waves, one of Washington's popular amusement parks.

"Come one, Bella. This will be fun. You're the one that said you've never been to an amusement park. I can only imagine the kind of childhood you had."

"My never having been to an amusement park is by choice. Therefore, there is no reason for you to pity me and so we should just turn around and —"

"Shut up," he says without malice as he cuts the engine. "We're going in and you're going to enjoy it." Bella has no choice but to get out of the car and enter the park when Jacob comes around to the passenger side and literally lifts her over his shoulder. Despite her protests and efforts at tickling him, Jacob carries her like that until they get to the ticket booth.

He grabs a map and then her hand and leads her around aimlessly for the first few minutes until he figures out what he wants to do first. Bella convinces him to get into the teacups with her — even though it's a squeeze for him — and then they get on the Ferris wheel. Jacob draws the line at the carousal. After a while he begins to mention roller coasters to her.

"Nope, not going to happen," she says after he's asked her three times.

"Come on, Beautiful, nothing is going to happen to you."

"But I'm afraid of heights"

"So am I."

"You're kidding. Why do you want to get on some death trap then?"

"Because, it's fun!" he says, exasperated.

Bella thinks about it for a moment. Millions of people get on roller coasters everyday and they're fine. And if Jacob can face his fear of heights, then so can she. "Fine," she says. The smile that flashes across his face is worth it.

Or so, that's what Bella thinks until she sees the coaster Jacob is talking about up close. "You want me to get on _this_? Are you out of your mind?" Wild Thing is the name of it. That can not be good.

"Bella, this is the tamest one in the park. Plus, you already agreed. Don't back down now."

"Okay," she says as the line starts moving. "But you have to win me a teddy bear afterwards."

"Okay."

"A big one."

"Done."

"A green one."

Jacob laughs. "Sure, sure. A big, green teddy bear."

It's a ten minute wait until they get all the way up front. Once they're strapped in, side by side, Jacob turns to her. "Hey, Beautiful?"

"Yeah?"

"I may have told a little, teeny, tiny lie. This is actually the scariest coaster in the entire park." Bella is fuming. She could kill him for putting her in this mess. She goes to unbuckle her harness, but its already too late.

"Enjoy the ride!" calls the attendant over the loudspeaker, and then they're off. The ride up to the top is the worst. She tells herself constantly not to look down. She wants to shed a tear every foot higher in the air they climb, because she knows that once they hit the top of this ramp, she'll have to go flying back down the same amount of feet. Jacob looks over at her, remorse clear on his face.

"I'm sorry. Want to hold my hand?" he offers. Bella refuses his offer. No way she's riding this thing with only one hand secure on the handle. The first few cars start to tilt. She and Jacob are in the middle and she's getting anxious as the screams start. Their car starts to tilt and Bella makes the mistake of looking down and gasps. Why did she let Jacob talk her into this? They start to descend and Bella screams.

They're going too fast for Bella to open her eyes but she can feel every turn, every jerk and every loop. Jacob screams beside her, but he's laughing too. He's having fun, and isn't that the whole point of this date? Instead of concentrating on how afraid she is, Bella lets go and focuses on the freedom she feels. The wind is blowing through her hair and her stomach is doing this floppy thing that feels terrible and wonderful at the same time. This time when they go through another loop, Bella screams, but she's laughing too.

Afterwards, Jacob keeps his promise to her and plays one of the carnival games. He wins her a teddy bear, only it's the second biggest and it's blue, but Bella loves it anyway.

(ALTCD)

"These pictures are beautiful, Jacob." Bella says as she walks further down the entrance hall of Jacob's apartment. There are about a dozen of them, varying from pictures of wooded areas and places in the city to a little girl's smile and a lone tricycle. There are different hues and angles and lighting and they're all so wonderful.

"Thanks," he says shrugging off the compliment. "They're just pictures."

"Oh, Jake, you're way too modest. These are masterpieces."

"I bet you say the same thing when people compliment your baking. You probably say 'Well they're just pastries'."

"But I'm just making food."

"Food can be art too."

Bella ignores his comment and instead asks, "Can I see more?"

Jacob directs her to his couch while he gets a bottle of wine and his portfolio. They spend hours looking through his personal photos as well as the ones for his business portfolio. Bella likes the ones he works on alone the most. After a while, Bella glances up from the book and sees that Jacob is watching her.

"What?" she asks with a nervous laugh. She wipes at her face just in case there's something on it.

Jacob chuckles. "There's nothing there. I'm looking because I can't get over how beautiful you are."

Bella averts her eyes and blushes. "Jake…" She doesn't know what to say. He uses it as a nickname so often but it's different when he's saying it like this. She feels his fingertips on her chin and soon his lips are on hers. She sets her wine glass on the table as he shifts to lean over her on the couch. Her back is on the cushions and her fingers are running through his hair. He places searing kisses down her neck and his fingers dance around the hem of her shirt before they slip underneath and caress the skin of her stomach.

He pulls away suddenly and it takes her a moment to realize he's speaking to her. "Bella, we've been dating for six weeks now. I am so enthralled by you. You're just… amazing. I don't want to be with any other woman but you, and I don't want you to date any other men. I feel really juvenile asking this, but will you be my girlfriend?"

She smiles, nods and whispers, "Okay."

He kisses her hungrily. "Spend the night, Beautiful?"

Another smile, another nod.


	4. Chapter 4

_Click._

Bella stirs as she hears the soft click of a camera.

"Don't move, Beautiful," she hears Jacob say softly. She hears four more soft clicks in quick succession and then peaks her eye open to see Jacob leaning against the door frame of his bedroom, camera in hand and a smirk adorning his face.

"Hey there," he says.

She smiles back. "Hi there," she answers back with sleep still evident in her voice. She sits up and blushes when the blanket falls down to reveal her naked breasts. She quickly pulls it back up to cover herself and Jacob turns around like a true gentleman after he tosses a shirt to her. She slips it around her shoulders and buttons it up. "You can turn around now."

"How did you sleep?" he asks as he sets his camera on the bedside table and joins her on the bed. Bella stretches and sighs happily when Jacob moves her hair to the side and places kisses on her neck.

"So good."

"I made pancakes," he says as he moves his kisses closer to her mouth. Bella turns her head to the side. She refuses to kiss him with morning breath. Jacob breathes out a chuckle. "You're kidding, right? Mine will cancel yours out."

Bella's only response is the shake of her head as she smirks with her mouth shut tight. She thinks Jacob will just drop the subject until he picks her up and carries her bridal style to the bathroom. He sets her down on the toilet while he rifles through the medicine cabinet. He hands her an unopened toothbrush. "Get to it."

They brush their teeth in silence for a while until Jacob starts to sing. "If you like piña coladas." Bella gives him a questioning look but he just shrugs and continues. "And getting caught in the rain." He bumps her with his hip so she can join in. "If you're not into yoga."

Bella just continues to stare at him. Jacob smiles a devious kind of smile and flicks water into Bella's face a second later. She jumps a little at the cold temperature and stops brushing to glare at him. She cups her hand and flings what's collected back at Jacob. "If you have half a brain." She smiles, satisfied.

Jacob retaliates, using the same tactic Bella did. "If you like making love at midnight."

They're both finished brushing their teeth by this point and call a truce as they rinse their mouths, even though they're both giving each other watchful glares. Bella fills her small cup a second time and she can tell Jacob thinks it's to rinse her mouth again, until she holds it over his head.

"You wouldn't dare," he says.

Bella empties it over his head with one flick of her wrist. "In the dunes on the cape." Jacob's arms are around her waist the next second and he's got her in the shower with the water on before she can make sense of what's happened. Jacob is outside of the tub laughing uncontrollably to the point of tears. The water has soaked through Bella's shirt and with the cold water hitting her she thinks this is anything but funny. She's in a fit of laughter the next second though as she detaches the shower head and aims it at Jacob.

"Shit!" he exclaims as the frigid water hits him.

Bella feigns confusion. "You mean you don't like surprise attacks by cold water?" She laughs at her terrible joke and shrieks when Jacob joins her in the shower and steals the shower head from her. He replaces it on the wall and warms the temperature. They eat cold pancakes.

(ALTCD)

Boyfriend.

That's the one word Bella cannot seem to get out of her head. Jacob Black is her boyfriend and even though she's been in relationships before, she's never loved the word more now that it applies to him.

After she and Jacob finish their breakfast, they spend the afternoon in bed. Somehow Jacob convinces her to call in sick to work. She tells him that she's never done that a day in her life and he thinks that's even more reason to do it. She calls Angela's cell to ask if she can cover her shift and after hearing her voice, Angela knows they've slept together. Bella doesn't know how but all Angela can talk about for their five minute conversation is how happy she is that Bella _finally _got laid. Bella has no choice but to hang up on her best friend and text an apology afterwards.

"What do you want to watch first?" Jacob asks as he rifles through his DVD collection. She's propped up on her elbow on his bed.

"Surprise me," she says. She watches him as he balances on the balls of his feet in front of the entertainment stand. He'd only dressed in boxers after their shower and the muscles in his back are flexing. Even if he wasn't toned and gorgeous, she knows she would still love that wonderful personality of his. She wonders how she got so lucky.

Jacob ends up picking movies from their childhood. First up is "The Breakfast Club" then "Risky Business". Halfway through their third movie, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", Jacob asks Bella if she wants to go to the park. She glances outside and sees that it's dark. A quick look at the clock tells her it's a quarter to midnight.

"Right now?" she asks in disbelief.

"Sure, why not?"

"It's really late."

"So what?"

"So it's a ridiculous idea to go to a park at this time of night."

They go back and forth like this for a while. Bella is still trying to figure out how he got her to agree to this when he parks across the street from a playground ten minutes from his house. She'd argued that they wouldn't be able to find a park that was open at this time. Google maps fixed that up real quick though and Bella found herself walking hand in hand with Jacob onto the unfenced playground.

Bella doesn't hate the idea so much when Jacob begins pushing her on the swing. It's been so long since she's been on one and she's nearly forgotten the freeing feeling of it. It's just like the roller coaster, but less terrifying. Jacob stops pushing her after a while and gets on the swing next to hers. He bets he can go higher than her and she accepts his challenge. She doesn't get anywhere close to how high he gets but she has fun trying.

They act like children for three more hours. He chases her through the park. She runs through the jungle gym, tries to evade him on the slide and zigzags through the grass. He catches her eventually and traps her on the merry-go-round as he pushes it at full speed. She sees him pull out his camera and snap a couple pictures of her. Even though she fears she might look like she's close to barfing, he tells her they'll come out beautifully.

On the way back to his apartment, they stop at a 7-Eleven and get ice cream. Bella finishes hers just as Jacob pulls up in front of his building. He laughs when he looks at her.

"What?" she asks.

"You've got ice cream on your chin." He unbuckles his seat belt and leans over to kiss it off. His next kiss is placed softly on her lips. Bella's eyes close as his lips move over hers. She'll never get tired of his kisses.

When Jacob pulls away Bella is still looking at his lips. "Beautiful?" Her eyes shift to his. "I want you to meet my Dad. Is that okay?"

Bella's smile is incredibly huge. "I'd love that."


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you sure he's not dying?" Angela asks. Jessica stops sipping her coke and animatedly points at Angela while she nods her head. She obviously agrees with her.

Bella shakes her head. "No way. I think he would have told me that by now."

Angela takes a bite of her burger. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Bella, he could just be afraid of your reaction."

"Of course I'm sure!" Bella has abandoned her salad by now, angry at her two friends. This was supposed to be a nice lunch to catch up since Jessica is back in town from New York. She's interning there as a fashion designer.

"Alright, alright. Don't get your panties in a bunch. Even you said that he's too good to be true. I mean, what guy really goes through all that trouble to make sure his girlfriend is happy _all_ the time? Not even Ben does that and he's damn near perfect."

Bella shrugs. "He just wants us to have fun." Bella knows what she's told Angela. She can clearly remember every time she'd called her best friend after her and Jacob's first couple of dates, confessing that she thought things were going too well with Jacob to be real. Sure, at first she'd thought his "fun" philosophy was suspicious — like maybe he was an axe murderer using the promise of a good time to lure his next victim — but however curious she was about his reasons, Bella was used to it now. It made Jacob who he was and she doubted his reasoning for living life to the fullest was impending death. Even though she herself was skeptical, she wasn't going to let Angela and Jessica talk negatively about him. He was her boyfriend after all.

Jessica snorts at Bella's last comment. "Well you should just consider yourself lucky, Bella. The last guy I went out with wanted to have "fun" too. He took me to a thrash concert, drank a shit-ton and puked in my car and then asked me to have a threesome with him and his wife."

Bella chokes on her lemonade and begins to cough. "Oh my gosh," she says when she regains her composure.

Jessica only nods. "Yeah, I know. Jacob couldn't get any more perfect in my eyes. Good thing you're putting out now. Hold him down, honey."

Angela laughs. "Bella says they've had sex everyday this week. Sometimes more than once."

"Angela!"

"Wow, Bella," Jessica says, "next thing you know, he'll be asking you to spend time with Mommy and Daddy."

"Actually…" Bella plays with what's left of her salad, looking down to hide her blush. "I'm meeting his father this weekend."

"What?" Angela exclaims, slapping Bella's arm. "Why didn't I know this?"

"I don't know. I guess it just slipped my mind to tell you guys. We're spending the weekend there. He says his dad only lives six hours away."

"Bella, you don't know how jealous I am of you. You've found your prince charming," Jessica says.

"Yeah, and in a Food Town!" Angela adds.

"No freaking way! You met him in a supermarket? The cards must really be in your favor."

"Oh God, Jess, not you too!"

"What? What'd I do? Jessica asks, confused.

Angela explains. "Jacob thinks it was destined for these two to meet that day. They ran into each other three times."

"And he wasn't following her?" Jessica asks Angela.

"He wasn't following me!" Bella laughs.

"Well then I think you should marry him. Whatever you want to call it — fate, destiny, luck — you two have got something special."

Bella grumbles. She's tired of all this talk of divine intervention. "It was just a chance encounter."

(ALTCD)

"Beautiful, you have no idea how excited I am for you to meet my father."

Bella fidgets with her hands. "I just hope he likes me."

Jacob wraps his hand around hers and brings it to his lips for a kiss. "He'll love you."

Bella returns the smile he gives her and looks out the window. Jacob turns onto exit 80. Bella looks over at Jacob with her eyebrow raised. "Are we going to Forks?"

She can tell Jacob is surprised when he answers. "No, my father lives in La Push. It's a reservation a little ways past Forks. We have to drive through it a bit to get there."

"Oh… okay."

"I'm surprised you know the name; most people don't even know Forks exists."

"I used to live here."

"I thought you grew up in Phoenix."

"I moved when I was six. I don't really remember it, but my mother told me this is where my dad lives. I haven't seen him since I was sixteen. He couldn't take off work anymore to come visit me and my mom didn't want me to come here."

"I'm sorry it's been that long. Why didn't you ever come back when you were an adult?"

Bella answers with remorse. She's twenty five now and lives in Seattle. She could have come and visited her father many times in the past, but she just didn't. "I don't know… We call and he just learned to skype, but I know it's not the same. I feel terrible."

Jacob squeezes her thigh. "No worries. We can fix it while we're here."

"Thank you, Jacob." She kisses his cheek.

(ALTCD)

"We're here!" Jacob says as he cuts the engine. Bella looks up and sees a small red house. The front door opens and a man in close resemblance to Jacob comes out in a wheelchair and rolls down the connected ramp. "The old man must have been watching from the window," Jacob laughs.

They both get out of the car and Jacob leans down to hug the man who holds him tight in return. "I missed you, son."

"Missed you too, Dad."

"And who is this lovely woman?" he says, looking at Bella. His smile is charming and Bella sees Jacob in this man's face through and through.

She walks forward to shake his hand. "I'm Bella."

Jacob's father takes her hand. "None of that here." He pulls her in for a hug. "Any girl that Jacob speaks so highly of is family. You can call me Billy. All the pretty girls do."

Bella blushes. "Lovely to meet you, Billy."

"Hey now, Dad. Don't go trying to steal my girl! I might have to hurt you."

"If you didn't think I could charm her away from you, you wouldn't have to say anything in the first place."

Jacob has nothing to say to this and his face is priceless.

Bella laughs and gives Jacob a quick kiss. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Alright, kids, why don't we go inside out of the cold."

"You and Bella go on, Dad. I'm going to get our bags and I'll meet you inside."

Billy motions for Bella to follow him into the house. She gives Jacob a quick wave and walks up the porch steps.

"Excuse me, Bella," Billy says when they're inside. "I've got to check on the lunch I'm making for us."

"Oh, sure thing."

"Feel free to look around. Jacob's room is down that hall, across from the bathroom."

When he's gone, Bella looks around the living room. It's your basic living room — a couple of couches, an end table, a TV — but Bella is drawn to the mantle, or rather, the pictures on it.

She can spot a younger Billy in them. Most of them are of him and a breathtakingly beautiful woman. There's one of him and two other men in which they seem to be fishing, but the picture is out of focus and she can't see all of the faces clearly.

Bella looks at some more of the pictures and comes to the conclusion that they're in chronological order. There's the woman and Billy again in a hospital room, each of them wearing big smiles with a baby girl in each of their arms. Then the two girls as toddlers and another of the family in a hospital with the addition of baby Jacob.

The rest of them are similar and Bella almost turns away until one really catches her attention. The picture was taken on a beach. There are two children building a sandcastle and they're both smiling widely.

Bella picks up the picture for closer inspection.

The little boy who she guesses is Jacob looks to be about four. The next child, a little girl about the age of six is wearing pigtails and has a missing front tooth. She's got her arm around the little boy. They look like best friends.

Bella turns around at the sound of Jacob coming through the door. "Jacob?"

"Uh, yeah?" He drops the bags by the floor and is slipping off his shoes, looking at the floor.

"Jacob, look." He looks.

"This is me."


	6. Chapter 6

Jacob places his shoes in a corner and smirks at Bella. "Ha ha, very funny, Beautiful." He lifts their bags, prepared to take them to his room but Bella stops him before he walks down the hall.

"No, Jacob, I'm serious."

His tone is less joking when he speaks this time. "Bella, please don't mock me. I know you don't believe in what I do, and 'finding' a picture of us in my childhood home is really cruel." He makes to take a step towards his room again.

"No, no, no! I'm not mocking you. Look, here's the freckle under my right eye." She points to the picture. "And this is the cut that caused the scar on my left knee. I got it the summer before I moved to Phoenix!"

Jacob puts the bags down on the floor. "Okay, Bella. Let's say that is you. I was too young to remember, but why don't you remember that picture being taken, or me for that matter?"

"I — I don't know. We were kids. Some days I can't even remember what I had for lunch the day before."

Jacob sighs. "Beautiful, as much as I'd like to believe—"

"Alright, kids! Let's eat," Billy says as he comes back into the living room. Bella watches as he assesses the scene before him. "What's going on here?"

"Bella thinks she found a picture of herself." Jacob slips the photo out of Bella's hand and gives it to his father. "That little girl," he says pointing to the picture, "is not Bella, right?"

Billy scrutinizes the picture and makes his decision quickly. "Course not. That's Izzy, my best friend Charlie Swan's girl."

"See, Bella; I told you. That's—"

"Jacob…"

"—Izzy, Charlie Swan's girl. You're Bella—"

"Charlie Swan's girl."

"What?" Jacob and Billy look at Bella quizzically.

"Jake, Charlie Swan is my father." She can see the two men trying to make the connection. Billy glances from the picture of the kids, to Bella and then to the picture on the mantle of the three men which Bella guesses features her father. She's waiting for Jacob to say something, but he doesn't. She's surprised when he hugs her tightly.

"Oh, Beautiful," he kisses her cheek, "I told you this was fate. I told you this was meant to be." Bella sees Billy quietly slip out of the house to give the two of them privacy.

Bella doesn't know anything else to do and whispers, "Yeah, you did say that."

"Bella?"

His tone of voice scares her. "Yes?" He's smiling so widely, she's afraid of what might come next. She hasn't healed yet.

"I know its only been two months but, Beautiful, I know I'm falling in love with you. It may be too early to tell you this, but that picture — us as kids! — I just…" He hugs her again and it's all too much for Bella. She thinks of her past, the depression that followed. Flashes of her past flood her mind. The one way plane ticket, the depressing week spent in the hotel, the ad for a roommate that saved her spirit, Angela.

"I can't do this."

"You what?"

She's shocked even herself in saying it but she knows that she can't go through this again. She's shaking her head, almost in tears. "I can't, Jacob. I have to go."

"Where the hell are you going to go, Bella? You don't even have a car here!"

"I don't know!" She runs out of his house and down the road. She takes a ride from a woman going in the direction of Forks, which goes against every survival instinct she has, but walking would have taken forever. She ends up at her destination safely.

When she knocks on the door, she thinks maybe she's gotten the wrong directions from the woman in the car who assured her that everyone in town knew where this house was, but a minute after she's knocked, the door opens.

"Izzy?"

She waves awkwardly. "Uh, hi, Dad."

She laughs in surprise when he brings her in for a tight hug. He doesn't let go for a while. "Oh, Izzy, it's so good to see you in person! That computer screen doesn't do you any justice. You look great, kiddo." He ushers her into the house.

"Thanks, Dad." They sit down in the living room, him on the recliner and her on the couch.

"I've missed you, Izzy."

"Same here, Dad." She smiles at him, so happy that she's decided to come see her father, even if it is the cause of her running away from her problems with Jacob. She takes some time to look around the place. It's nice and tidy, and there are even flowers on the coffee table. There is the big flat screen TV that she expects to be here due to Charlie's love of sports, but that is really the only hint of a man in this living room. It takes a glance at the pictures on the wall to figure it out. Just after the last picture of Bella from graduation, there's one of Charlie and a woman close to his age, smiling and in love.

"Dad," she says surprised. "You've got a girlfriend!"

Her father looks a little embarrassed, but Bella can hear the pride in his voice when he answers. "Her name is Sue. We've been dating for almost two years. She's really something. I'm thinking of proposing soon."

"Oh, Dad, I'm so happy for you. I just know she'll say yes."

"I want you to meet her while you're here."

"I'd love that, Dad!"

"So, Izzy," Uh oh, she doesn't like his inquisitive tone, "is there anyone new in your life?"

With some hesitation, she tells him about Jacob. Everything from the way they met and his persistence, to the dates and how he makes her feel. Needless to say she leaves out all the times they've had sex.

"Sounds like you've got a real catch there, Izzy. I'm happy for you. So where is the lucky guy?" She'd also left out the way she just walked out on him.

"He, uh, he's at his father's house. He's actually Billy Black's son, but we didn't know until today. I found a picture of myself."

"Oh wow. Little Jacob Black and my baby girl. You kids were so close, Izzy. Attached at the hip, actually. Before you and your mom moved it was hard to even get you to leave La Push to come home. Must be fate."

Bella can't take any of this right now. She tells her father she needs the bathroom and walks upstairs for a much needed break. She's rinsing her face with cool water when her phone buzzes with a text.

_**How are things with Lover Boy and his Daddy? - Ang**_

_**I um… we had a fight. - B**_

_**A FIGHT? I didn't think that was possible for him. What happened? - Ang**_

_**I found a picture of myself. - B**_

_**On his phone? That's normal. Such a stupid thing to fight over. - Ang**_

_**No. In his father's house! - B**_

Angela doesn't respond as quickly as before and Bella is about to go back downstairs when her phone rings. "Hello?"

"What the hell? In his father's house? What a creeper!"

"No Ang, not of me now. As a kid. Jake and I knew each other as kids."

"Shut the front door!"

"And he was so happy about it."

"So you fought? This isn't making any sense, hon."

"I left him there. I came to my father's house and I — I just couldn't go through that again, Ang."

"Bella! I can't believe you! Why would you do that?"

"He told me he loved me!"

Bella can hear how frustrated her friend is. "And that is not a reason to walk out, Bella! I know that you are afraid but you need to realize that not everyone is the same. Yes he believes in divine intervention, but he is a good man and you deserve someone like him."

"But don't you remember—"

"He's not Edward!"

Bella goes silent.

"Bella, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to snap at you. But honey, you can't be afraid of men hurting you. Give him a chance. He deserves to know the truth and I bet he'll understand."

Bella sighs. "I know… I know he does."

"Bella, I'm going to hang up now, okay? Go back to Jacob and talk to him."

"I will, Ang. Thank you — again! You're always there for me."

"Save the sap. Go get your man."

Bella hangs up with Angela and runs back downstairs. She laughs off Charlie's joke about her falling in and tells him she needs to do something important. She runs to the front door and opens it, surprised. "Oh, Jacob!"

"Hey, Beautiful. Come on, let's talk."


	7. Chapter 7

They end up at the beach.

"So this is where it all started, huh?" Bella says, taking in her surroundings.

Jacob shrugs. "I guess so." He leads Bella to a driftwood tree nearby and sits on one of its roots. Bella sits closer to the ground and begins playing with the pebbles around them. Jacob calls her name with frustration evident in his voice and when she looks up she can see a crease in his brow.

Before he can say anything, Bella apologizes. "Jacob, I'm so sorry about what happened earlier."

Jacob's laugh is mirthless. "You mean when I told you I was falling in love with you and you ran out on me? Don't think anything of it."

"Jake, don't be like this."

"No, Bella, I will be like this. I deserve an explanation and until that happens, don't expect me to be so receptive of your apologies." He takes a hold of her hand. "Look, Beautiful, I know you have secrets and a past, but you also have me. I'm willing to listen to whatever it is and try my best to help you get over it, but I can't do that if you don't open up to me."

Bella sighs. She knows he's right. She knows that her fear of Jacob doing the same thing as Edward is unjustified, but she can't help but feel reserved about her past. Aside from Edward, Jacob is her most serious relationship. She's just afraid to mess things up. "You're right," she finally says.

"I'm all ears, Beautiful."

"I was engaged once," she says. This isn't how Bella had planned to reveal this to Jacob. It just slipped out, but now that its out in the open Bella thinks it's as good a starting point as any.

She looks up to gauge Jacob's feelings but is only met with a supportive smile that instructs her to continue.

"I met Edward my freshman year at Dartmouth."

_Bella walks into the on-campus bookstore. The semester starts in two days and she just needs one last book to be fully prepared for it. She finds the customer help line and has a five minute wait until she is one person away from getting her book. The boy in front of her asks the clerk for "Ethics of Deconstruction" and she guesses he may be in her section this semester. He pays for his book and leaves. _

"_Hi," Bella says. "Can I please get the same book?"_

_The woman looks at her sadly. "Oh, I'm so sorry. We've just sold out. This class seems to be pretty popular." She laughs to ease some of the tension._

"_Do you know when you'll get another shipment?"_

"_Next week, definitely."_

_Bella rubs her hand over her face. "Crap, I need it in two days."_

"_Well there's nothing I can do about it. Sorry."_

_Bella turns around to head out of the store empty handed when she feels a tap on her shoulder. She comes face to face with a boy about her age. He's a head taller than her with auburn hair, fair skin and a dazzling smile. _

"_Excuse me, miss. I couldn't help but overhear that you needed this book? I took the course last semester and I was just going to sell it back but, here, you can have it." _

"_Oh, no. Let me buy it from you, please."_

"_No way. I couldn't take your money. I insist."_

"_Okay, if you say so." Bella reluctantly takes the book from him and slips it into her purse. "You have no idea how much you've helped me out." She begins to walk toward the exit and he walks with her._

"_It's no problem at all. I'm Edward Masen, by the way." He extends his hand and Bella takes it._

"_Bella Swan. Nice to meet you."_

_They exit the bookstore and Bella begins walking toward the dorms. Edward tells her he's on the way to his dorm too. They get to the McLaughlin Cluster and Edward walks towards Goldstein Hall along with Bella. "You live in Goldstein?" she asks, surprised. _

"_Don't tell me you live here too!" He replies with a smile._

_Bella laughs. "I do. Wow, what a coincidence."_

_They enter the building and Edward walks to a door on the first floor. "Must be fate," Edward says. He takes out a set of keys and unlocks his door. "See you around, Bella." He shoots her a smile and then he's inside. Bella's heart skips a beat._

_On the second day of classes, she runs into Edward again in the cafeteria. She gets lost in his green eyes while he laughs about their meeting again in such a big school. She shrugs it off with a laugh, but he insists this is divine intervention's work at hand. "It's fate," he says. He asks her to join him for lunch and by the end of their meal, he's got her number._

"We started dating a week later. I thought he was perfect. He was so sweet and attentive. He was pre-med and even though that took up most of his time he always set some free time aside for me. He introduced me to his friends and family and always insisted I went on vacations with them. I fell in love with him so quickly. He was even my first." Bella sighs.

"He told me all the time that he loved me more than life itself. He always said how happy he was that fate brought us together. He'd always say 'It was my destiny to meet you, Bella.' He proposed to me the day before his graduation and we were together until the end of my senior year. We decided to hold the wedding off until after I graduated since it was so close.

"We were in the middle of moving into an off-campus apartment near school since he was going to the medical school within Dartmouth. The semester before graduation, Edward got a letter from Dr. Carlisle Cullen asking him to join him on a trip and study under him. Apparently Dr. Cullen was friends with the head of the medical department and Edward had gotten a wonderful referral. He wanted Edward to join him in Africa for six years. I thought maybe he'd ask me to come with him or _something_ other than what he did do."

"_How can you just leave me like this, Edward?"_

"_Bella, don't you understand the opportunity I'm being given here? Dr. Cullen is one of the most respected doctors out there and he wants _me_! I can't just throw a chance like this away."_

_Bella can feel the tears come. "But you can throw me away?"_

"_Look, Bella, this is my future we're talking about. I can't let you hold me back."_

"_I thought you loved me."_

"_I do, I just—"_

"_You said I was your destiny!"_

"_Well this is my destiny now. Goodbye, Bella." He places his keys on the desk, grabs his bags and then leaves her in their apartment — alone._

Bella is sobbing at this point. Jacob pulls her into his arms and rubs her hair and back soothingly. "I didn't even finish the semester. I got rid of the apartment and packed up all my things. I didn't even have a plan. I couldn't go to my mother because she was traveling with her new husband and couldn't offer any support. I finally decided to come here to Charlie. I got a one-way ticket to Seattle and planned to drive out to his house, but I didn't want my dad to see me for the first time in six years and have to tell him about my failed relationship and dropping out of college, so I stayed in a hotel for a week.

"I saw a personal ad in the newspaper for a roommate and that's how I met Jessica. She was nice enough and eventually we became really close. I ran into Angela a couple of months later in a Starbucks. Turns out she'd moved to Seattle with her boyfriend for his job. She'd exclaimed that it must've been in the cards for us to meet after such a long time and I almost had a breakdown right there in the coffee shop. She made me explain to her everything that had happened with Edward and she helped me get better."

"Oh, Bella. I'm so sorry he did that to you."

Bella sniffs. "I just don't understand how someone can claim you're meant to be together and then throw that all away."

"I know, Beautiful. But you have to understand that I'm not him. I won't hurt you like he did and you shouldn't be afraid of fate and destiny because of him. They are real things and I really do believe we were meant to be together. Hell, the proof is in my father's living room!" He laughs and coaxes Bella to smile. "All I'm saying is, don't let him ruin what we have."

Bella wipes her tears away with the sleeve of her shirt. She raises up on her knees to kiss Jacob. "You really are amazing," she says when she pulls away.

"So are you."

She and Jacob lean back and watch the waves as they lap at the sand. After some time, Bella turns to Jacob. "So what's your story?"

Jacob gives her a questioning look. "What do you mean?"

"Your story. You know, the reason you are the way you are."

"You mean charming, funny and all-around awesome?" He laughs but Bella can see something else behind his smile. He's hiding behind humor.

"My mom… she died when I was nine."

"Oh, Jacob! I'm so sorry." Bella recalls the pictures on the mantel and the beautiful woman whose face simply disappeared after a certain point in time.

"She and my father got into a car accident. He was paralyzed from the waist, down. She ended up in ICU with a concussion, broken ribs and so much else. She was alive for an hour after the accident. I was the last one to see her before she went. She told me before her last breath that she only regretted one thing in her life. She said she didn't have enough fun. She didn't cherish all the fun moment's in her life. She said that sure she had good times, but her down-right fun moments were few and far between. She made me promise her that I wouldn't be like that.

"So I did more fun things. I stayed home less and went out more. I had a blast all the time, but it wasn't enough to make me happy. I realized that although I had fun in the moment, I didn't have any way to remember it by. It was the same with my mother. I had so may great memories of her, but nothing tangible."

"So you took pictures."

Jacob nods. "So I took pictures. After my best friends and I graduated high school, we got our degrees in business online and decided to open a photography company. I just want to give other people something tangible to hold on to."

"That's beautiful, Jacob."

Jacob smiles and kisses her. "You're beautiful."

Bella blushes and looks away.

"Just so you know, Bella, when I said that I was falling in love with you, I meant it. I'm not expecting you to say it back but I want you to believe it. You believe that, right?"

Bella nods.

"Say it, Beautiful."

"I believe you."

"Good." He kisses her forehead and they lay back down.

"Jacob?"

"Hmm?"

"I fell off a swing during recess in the sixth grade. My skirt flew up and all the boys in my class saw my underwear."

Jacob smirks. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because that's my real most embarrassing moment. I lied on our first date, but now I just want you to know everything about me."'

Jacob takes Bella's hand and kisses her knuckles. "Thank you for telling me that."

Bella kisses his lips in return. "And just for the record, I'm falling in love with you too."

**A/N: Just wanted to take some time to thank everyone who reads. Even if you don't always review, you're appreciated!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm writing the next chapter as you read this. Thanks for being so patient.**

"I knew it would work out," Angela says after Bella has finished relaying her conversation with Jacob.

Bella smiles back at her best friend through her web cam. "You're a great friend, Ang. I don't know what my life would be like without you."

"Well you'd be single and lonely and wouldn't know the joy of having someone like me in your life. It's that simple." Angela laughs loudly and Bella joins her. She lowers her voice when Jacobs stirs in his bed behind her.

"I know you don't like when I get too sappy, but I really am thankful for you, Angela."

Angela smirks and waves off Bella's comment. "Oh, stop. So did you guys spend time with his daddy after everything was settled?"

"No actually. We didn't get back until around ten and his father was already in his room."

"I called you at like six. What did you guys do for all that time?"

"We went to the beach and—"

"You had beach sex!"

Jacob stirs again.

"Shh! We, uh—we went skinny dipping."

"You did not!" Angela says disbelievingly.

"We really did. He makes me do crazy things." She smiles, remembering this afternoon.

_They don't go back to Billy's house right away. After Bella reveals her feelings to Jacob, he says he's not ready to share her presence with his father just yet. They lay on the sand, Bella on her back and Jacob's head on her chest as she strokes his hair. Bella doesn't think she has ever felt so content and she can't help but feel a little angry at herself for postponing this wonderful feeling. Jacob is hers and he's falling in love with her and she knows that she's only this happy because of Edward's cold hearted decisions. _

_The thought of sending a gift basket to Africa briefly crosses her mind and she laughs to herself. _

_Jacob lifts his head to look up at her. "What's so funny, Beautiful?"_

"_Just feeling happy."_

_Jacob smiles and shifts, leaning onto his elbows to kiss her. "I'm happy, too." He gets up abruptly and pulls Bella up with him. "Let's go for a swim."_

_Bella is learning to just accept the crazy things Jacob suggests and shrugs. He laughs approvingly, probably happy that she's finally stopped protesting, and takes her hand and begins running down to the water. _

_Jacob stops at the shoreline and gives Bella a coy smile. _

"_What?" she asks warily. That smile has never led to good things. _

_Jacob's only answer is to take off his shirt. "You didn't think we were going swimming in our clothes, did you?" He slips off his shoes and socks, then his jeans. When he's left in just his underwear Jacob glances around the beach, gives Bella a wink, and removes those too before running into the water. Bella watches as he dives under the waves and he comes back up a few yards away. His hair has fallen into his eyes and he shakes it out, squinting back at the beach through the sun in his eyes. "Come on, Beautiful; the water is great."_

_Bella removes her shoes and socks and slowly dips one of her toes into the water. She quickly retracts it; the water is freezing. "You're such a liar! It's frigid!"_

"_And you're a coward!" Jacob yells back. She flips him off. "Real nice, honey! Get in the damn water!"_

_Bella laughs, remembering she's already agreed to this and knows that however crazy Jacob's ideas are, she always ends up smiling at the end. She shakes her head, muttering, "I can't believe I'm doing this" as she removes her clothes. She too looks around the beach when she's down to her underwear and when she sees no one around, her panties and bra join the rest of her and Jacob's clothes on the sand. Jacob whistles as she starts into the water. _

_Bella is shivering by the time she's swam to Jacob and he just laughs and wraps his arms around her, placing a kiss on her forehead. "I'm impressed, Beautiful. I honestly didn't think you'd do it."_

"_You're worth doing crazy things for." She smiles and kisses him. When she pulls away, he's smiling with his eyes still closed and Bella thinks this is the perfect time to splash him. Jacob sputters and laughs loudly, dunking Bella under the water._

_When she comes back up they have their second water fight, soaking each other to the bone and warming each other up with kisses when it got too cold. _

Angela looks thoughtful while she studies Bella through the screen. "I really like him. He's good for you."

Bella looks back at Jacob, thinking the same.

"I just can't believe you went skinny dipping," Angela says.

"Well, believe it. And Ang?"

"Yeah?"

"We did have beach sex." Bella chuckles and closes her laptop before Angela can respond. She places the laptop on Jacob's desk, turns off the lamp and crawls up from the foot of the bed and into Jacob's arms.

(ALTCD)

Bella wakes up in bed alone to the sound of laughter coming from the front of the house. She walks to the kitchen and is met with the smell of breakfast and sees Jacob, Billy, Charlie, and a women she assumes is Sue sitting around the kitchen. Jacob is smiling at a conversation their fathers are having.

"They were hunting around for about an hour and when they'd finally found a shell that was satisfactory, Izzy wouldn't let him touch it at all," Charlie says.

"That boy moped around all day. Wouldn't talk to anyone for anything," Billy adds. Jacob and Sue are giving their full attention to Billy and Charlie. Billy continues. "And then Izzy lost the shell out in the water and we had two moping kids."

"But Jake was right on it. He found her another one real quick. Wouldn't stop smiling when she kissed his cheek," Charlie says. "He trailed behind her the rest of the day."

"And wouldn't shut up about how pretty, and fun, and awesome Izzy was once we got home." Billy is doubled over by now, remembering his son as a love-struck child.

"Alright, Dad, you're embarrassing me. I'm just glad Bella isn't here to hear about this."

"Ahem." Bella clears her throat, finally making her presence known.

"Oh great," Jacob says as he looks up at her, smiling brightly. "Good morning, Beautiful." He walks over to her and kisses her forehead. "How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough to know how pretty and fun and awesome I am." She laughs.

"Morning, kiddo," Charlie greets. He gives her an affectionate one-armed hug as she passes by him to fix herself a plate. Once she's seated, he introduces Sue to her.

They all talk while they eat. Bella learns that Sue owns an organic food store in La Push which is where she and Charlie met after Charlie's doctor had warned him about his high cholesterol. She'd advised Charlie to start eating less red meats and adding organic foods to his diet. Charlie tells the story, not taking his eyes off Sue for a minute. He'd walked into the store just as she'd come from out back with fresh berries and even under the shade of her hat, Charlie said he could see the sparkle in Sue's eyes and he'd been a goner from then on.

Jacob tells their story then, starting with how Bella crashed into his cart. Charlie interjects saying how it sounds just like her.

Jacob continues, saying how he couldn't help but want to get to know Bella better after he'd seen her. He'd just felt like they had some type of unspeakable connection. "It was unexplainable," he says. "But she was so stubborn about giving me her number."

"That's right, Bella. Make him work for it," Sue says.

"That's some advice, coming from you."

Sue's smile falters a bit and she slaps Charlie's leg. "Shut up, dear."

"Bella is worth the work though. But however stubborn she was, I knew I'd get her number."

"Oh yeah?" Bella asks. "Because of your lovely charm?"

"Because we're meant to be."


	9. Chapter 9

"Yes, Mrs. Summers." Bella says. She nods, even though she's on the phone. "I understand." Bella runs her fingers through her hair, her neat style long gone from the stress of this conversation. She's currently on the phone with Frances Summers, the widow who owns the old café Bella wants to buy for her bakery. The deadline she and Bella had agreed on is nearing and Bella is so close to having the money that it kills her to hear the woman explain that close is not good enough. It turns out there is someone else interested in buying the old café. If Bella doesn't have the money by their deadline, she can kiss her bakery goodbye.

"You know how much I adore you, Bella, but this is business," says Mrs. Summers.

Bella rests her head on the back of Jacob's couch, frustrated and defeated. Jacob looks up from his work on the coffee table and slides closer to her. He puts an arm around her and places a kiss on her temple. Soon, his hands rub soothing patterns on her back and shoulders but all she can concentrate on is Mrs. Summers telling her that she has two months, and she pushes Jacob's hands away. She feels terrible about pushing him away when all he is trying to do is comfort her, but even in her sweet old lady voice, Mrs. Summers' reminder only makes Bella feel defeated. Two months might be a substantial amount of time, but it's not enough for Bella to get the rest of the money on a waitress's salary.

She mouths an apology to Jacob and he shrugs it off in normal Jacob fashion, returning to his pictures on the table.

"I really hope you can have the money in two months, Bella," Mrs. Summers says. Bella knows she genuinely means it, since she and the old woman have had many conversations about how excited Bella is to run her own business. The best part about the old café is that she wouldn't even need to change much. There's already a great kitchen, a counter in place, and a wide open space for Bella to add tables and chairs for customers that would like to sit in. This is her dream.

And Bella can feel her dream slip through her fingers when she utters the words "I'll see what I can do." There's nothing she can do.

She hangs up with a sigh as she tosses her phone onto Jacob's arm chair. He puts his work to the side one more time and slides to her side again. This time, Bella welcomes his comfort and leans into his side. He guides her head to his shoulder and strokes her hair.

"Want to tell me what that was about?" he asks.

Bella is near tears by the time she's finished relaying the conversation with Mrs. Summers. "I've just worked so hard for this, you know?"

Jacob nods sympathetically. "I know, Beautiful. Have you thought about taking out a loan?"

Bella shakes her head sadly. "I already have."

"Well then I'll just help you out. My bank account isn't overflowing but I do have a good amount of savings and—"

"No!" Bella interjects, leaning away from him so she can look in his eyes as she refuses. "I can't ask you to do that. I will not use your savings to start my business."

"Bella, just let me—"

"I said no," she says in a way that makes it final.

Jacob sighs and although Bella knows he's not happy about it, he's going to leave the situation alone. Bella sighs again and when Jacob looks at her, she gives him a sad excuse for a smile hoping that will keep him from moping along with her.

He purses his lips. "You know, Beautiful, I'm hopeless when it comes to baking. Think you can help me out?" The smile that Bella gives him now is anything but pathetic as she thinks about how wonderful of a man Jacob is for knowing exactly what will get her out of her sour mood.

Bella jumps up from the couch and runs into Jacob's kitchen, excited to spend this time bonding with him and sharing her talent, only to have her smile drop when she raids his fridge and cabinet to find none of the ingredients she needs.

"You have nothing that's necessary for baking, Jacob."

He comes up behind her and glances into the fridge. "I've got butter," he points out.

Bella turns to face him, fighting the urge to roll her eyes. "Grab your keys."

Their trip to the supermarket is eventful and Bella doesn't think she'll ever be able to understand how Jacob can make even the simplest tasks fun and unforgettable. Bella decides she wants to teach Jacob how to make chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese filling. It's become one of her specialties since that recipe is Angela's favorite.

When they get to the supermarket Jacob grabs a cart and then makes a detour and heads into the produce aisle, grabbing a bag of grapes. "We don't need grapes."

"It's a shopping snack," he says, opening the bag and popping a few grapes into this mouth.

"That is so illegal!" Bella chides.

Jacob simply shrugs and as they continue to walk through the supermarket, Bella caves and grabs for a grape. Jacob jerks the bag away from her. "Go long," he says.

Bella backs up and Jacob tosses a grape her way. She catches it with ease and Jacob fans his hands at her to go farther. This time as she's backing up, Bella collides with someone behind her. She turns around and apologizes profusely to the older man she'd knocked into. Bella has a hard time containing her laughter as the old man complains about how rude today's youth is because Jacob mocks the mans gestures as he exits the aisle. Bella walks back over to Jacob finally letting her laughter loose as he laughs with her.

"Do you always crash into people in supermarkets?" he teases.

"Shut up. You're the one that crashed into me. You said so yourself."

"I felt bad for you, you beautiful klutz."

"Don't call me names while I'm down. I didn't even get to catch that second one." She pretends to pout.

Jacob laughs. "Well then, here; you get this one challenge-free," he says placing a grape in her mouth.

When they get back to the house and begin putting the ingredients together for the cupcake batter, Bella realizes that Jacob was definitely not kidding when he said he was hopeless when it came to baking.

"Three eggs, take out the milk. Yes, and the butter," she says, completing the list of things they'll need. She explains to Jacob that it's much easier when everything is already out when he complains about the cluttered counter.

After he's preheated the oven, Bells instructs Jacob to add one and a third cup of flour to the bowl and then one cup of sugar along with half a cup of milk. She laughs when he cracks an egg the wrong way and gets shell in the batter. "Okay, this is sad," she says, taking over and pushing him to the side to fish out the shell and crack the rest of the eggs the right way.

"Only you could make cracking an egg sexy," he says, watching her.

Bella laughs and says, "Well, someone has to. You sure didn't."

"Ha ha, very funny. I'm usually not so bad at this stuff," he defends. Bella knows it's true because he's made her breakfast countless times. "I'm only messing up because I'm trying to impress you," Jacob continues.

Bella finishes adding the ingredients to the bowl and begins to stir, having decided that Jacob is better off watching. "Well you don't need to impress me. Baker or not, I'm happy with you just being you."

"Oh yeah?" She can hear the smile in his voice.

Bella grabs the cupcake pan and pours the batter in and then places it in the oven. "Well yeah," she answers with her back still to Jacob. She begins wiping down the counter.

She stops when Jacob slips his arms around her waist and lays his head on her shoulder. "Same goes for you, Beautiful." He kisses her neck.

"Oh yeah?" she asks breathily.

"Well yeah." He kisses her again, his lips lingering his time. Bella's smile widens a little when she feels him hard against her back. She turns around and unbuckles his jeans, hoping the cupcakes don't burn.

(ALTCD)

"My God, Jake. These are amazing," Bella says, looking over Jacob's shoulder as he continues to sort his pictures. She takes a bite of her cupcake. Thankfully, they didn't burn.

"That's because you're in most of them."

It's not often that Bella blushes anymore, but Jacob always knows the right thing to say. However much the comment embarrasses her, Bella really can't help but agree that she does look beautiful in Jacob's pictures. A lot of them were taken last weekend before she and Jacob left Forks. After their parents finished their trip down memory lane, Jacob had gone to grab his camera and did not stop clicking the rest of the weekend. He'd taken pictures at the family dinner they'd had, during their trip to Sue's organic food store and their second trip to the beach. Bella always got annoyed when her mother would snap picture of her as a child but she couldn't help but smile when she saw how passionate Jacob was.

Which is why she says, "I'm serious, though. I honestly think you should start doing something with your personal photos."

Jacob responds with the same thing he always does. "We'll see what the future holds."

Bella is determined though and that night when Jacob is asleep in his bed beside her, she pulls out her phone and sends a text to Angela.

_What does Ben know about creating a website? -B_

**A/N: If you'd like the recipe that I use for the cupcakes, just let me know in a review. They taste amazing! **


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